Obamateurism of the Day; Update: Video added

posted at 8:05 am on April 7, 2011 by Ed Morrissey

Today’s OOTD serves double duty. First, Barack Obama once again demonstrates that he has no idea what gas mileage people actually get from their vehicles, apparently having last owned a car and bought gas in 1978, and has a curious idea about what the middle class can afford these days. While speaking to a crowd in Pennsylvania, Obama scoffed at the notion of high gas prices and told the peasants voters that if gas prices were too high, then maybe they should eat cake instead buy new cars instead:

Obama needled one questioner who asked about gas prices, now averaging close to $3.70 a gallon nationwide, and suggested that the gentleman consider getting rid of his gas-guzzling vehicle.

“If you’re complaining about the price of gas and you’re only getting 8 miles a gallon, you know,” Obama said laughingly. “You might want to think about a trade-in.”

As we’ve mentioned on several occasions now, the last time anyone drove an 8-MPG vehicle that didn’t include a half-track was in the mid-1970s. If that was the problem, then a tune-up would solve the problem better than a new car, and it would be a hell of a lot cheaper, too.

Even worse, Obama sounds as bad as Marie Antoinette here. Actually, he sounds worse. Despite the common belief that Marie Antoinette said of starving peasants who couldn’t afford bread, “Let them eat cake,” she didn’t actually say it; Jean-Jacques Rousseau wrote of it in 1769 when Marie Antoinette was 13, before becoming queen of France, speaking of a “great princess.” Regardless, Obama fills the role of clueless aristocrat by telling a man who explains that he can’t afford to fill his gas tank at current prices that he should instead buy a new car.

If the press reported it, the retort would prove rather embarrassing — which may be why the Associated Press scrubbed it from their coverage of the event. A search for “If you’re complaining about the price of gas and you’re only getting 8 miles a gallon” turned up 26 hits last night at 7:15 pm ET, most of them Associated Press links or links to their affiliates. In each of those, the quote was removed in later editing, which the Bing archiving had yet to clear:

Just think how Marie Antoinette would have fared with a media so devoted to spinning for her.

Got an Obamateurism of the Day? If you see a foul-up by Barack Obama, e-mail it to me at obamaisms@edmorrissey.com with the quote and the link to the Obamateurism. I’ll post the best Obamateurisms on a daily basis, depending on how many I receive. Include a link to your blog, and I’ll give some link love as well. And unlike Slate, I promise to end the feature when Barack Obama leaves office.

Illustrations by Chris Muir of Day by Day. Be sure to read the adventures of Sam, Zed, Damon, and Jan every day!

Blowback

Note from Hot Air management: This section is for comments from Hot Air's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that Hot Air management agrees with or otherwise endorses any particular comment just because we let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with our terms of use may lose their posting privilege.

Comments

Little Bammie’s last car was a Chrysler 300 with the hemi engine, which gets 15mpg and must have Premium gasoline. He sold it quickly during the early part of the campaign when it was pointed out to him what a hog it was.

Not quite 8mpg, but it does point out the usual hypocrisy on the Left and especially with little Bammie.

This story really angers me, Obama’s pos arrogant attitude more so than the media, which we already knew refused to report the truth about him. Obama doesn’t care about the cost of gas but it drives up the prices of food, clothing, utilities and everything else we buy. Our economy will never recover until we get this man out of office. Every day I come here to read the OOTD and hope that I find news that he decided to resign for a permant spot on the golf links. But no.. I find he outdid his previous day’s efforts. arrgh…

As a follow on to Steve Z.’s comments consider the irony of the circumstance surrounding this “presidential” comment.

1. He has flown in Air Force One to this location.
2. He has a motorcade of automobiles that are flown as well.
3. He has an advance team of security and political people who flew in early to set this speech up and have their own set of vehicles that they either rented or were flown in with them.

All of this activity used enormous amounts of fuel and likely most of the vehicles involved get 8 mpg or LESS.

That wouldn’t be the time he was befuddled by the difference between comprehensive and collision insurance coverage for his automobile insurance, would it? Such a scholar of life …
ya2daup on April 7, 2011 at 1:18 PM

No one who’s ever actually tried to collect on a collision claim and got turned down (as Obama did) could possibly be “befuddled” by it. Even a child can understand the explanation: “You didn’t PAY for it, so you can’t HAVE it.”

Barack Hussein Obama has studied the free enterprise system his whole life. He’s not merely confused about it; he is confounded by it. He doesn’t just fail to understand it; he rejects it.

I still miss my ’72 Buick which consistently got 10 MPG in town, highway, and driveway….

It was 4000 lbs of comfort and safety, adequately powered by a real “350″ engine. Two lesser cars rear-ended it during the two decades I had it: the result was two “totalled” cars, and only minor cosmetic dent repair and no functional damage for the Buick’s trunk lid!! No visible damage to the Buick’s original bumper either…it was made of real US steel!!

So how does Obama feel about “excess deaths” (no protective mass or useful bumpers) and the “adverse environmental impact” which result from using the toy cars (have to throw them away after one bump) Obama is pushing??

That’s why I’m driving a ’96 Honda Accord with 223,000+miles.
I pray every time I get behind the wheel that it lasts just a little longer.
Bcs IDK WTF I’m gonna do for transporation when it dies. Resurrect the ’94 Cadillac in the dump that I hit a deer with? It gets 13mpg.
The Honda gets ~24.

So how does Obama feel about “excess deaths” (no protective mass or useful bumpers) and the “adverse environmental impact” which result from using the toy cars (have to throw them away after one bump) Obama is pushing??

landlines on April 7, 2011 at 5:21 PM

They get recycled!
But to speak for the prior point, safety, that will be less useless eaters.
Of course it results in less taxpayers. But we never said he was a genius.

The average sedan car price per Edmunds in 2011 is $19,999, tack on 12% for license and sales tax equals $2,400 more. The car financed for 60 months is $374.00 per month with an annual license anywhere between $200-$700 per year.

With 20% of the country unemployed, can most people afford the higher payments?